A thought here, a picture there, a day together and maybe a run through the woods and a ride across the country with Michael Cook, aka "The Cookie Monster".

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Do Not Panic

Two months to go before RAAM and I must remind myself: DO NOT PANIC. I’m not exactly sure how to properly prepare for this type of a journey. On one level, I’m sure no amount of planning or training will adequately prepare us for what lies ahead. The logistics of putting together a crew and vehicles and equipment are consuming a lot of evening hours. I talked with Kenny Souza (RAAM veteran) on Saturday and he was very helpful in sharing his experience and offering some advice. My bike situation has been on my mind lately. I’ve been debating whether or not to use my TT bike as my second bike and after talking with Kenny I think that I should. So I will use my road bike as my main bike, specifically for night and climbing but use the TT bike on the flats when the wind isn’t blowing too hard. The biggest concern with the TT bike is sitting in the aero position for long periods of time. I think 3-4 hour segments will work and then I can switch and give my neck and back a rest. A pair of Zipp 404’s were on my shopping list but I think I will do without them. The HED 3 wheels are fine wheels but in a good crosswind and riding the HED 3 wheels, the bike can be pushed around and be difficult to handle.

I’ve turned the notch up a bit on the training this week. It’s now ride or run before work. Ride or run during lunch (whichever I didn’t do in the morning) then ride after work. This past Saturday I rode up to Georgetown and then over to Placerville and down to Folsom. The body is not accustomed to this much and my left knee has been a little tender since AR50. Today it felt more normal so I think it will work itself out. I have the Devil Mountain Double (200 miles) on Saturday. This will be a good ride with lots and lots of climbing. I’ll be chasing Lee, Kevin and Graham all day.

Just ordered the CygoLite TridenX light and will plan on using this as my main riding light during the nights. The plan for RAAM will be to ride about 20 hours a day and to sleep between 2 and 5 AM. So I need a light with about 5-6 hours of battery power. The CygoLite should do the trick.

We are looking at RV’s tomorrow night after work as we need to finalize the vehicle situation. We need at least 2 vehicles, a follow vehicle that will drive behind me during the night and can follow during the day. Our Jeep appears to be the main follow vehicle. The other vehicle will be the RV and will provide some area of rest and recovery for the crew and me. Lots of details.

I also talked with Bill Bradley over the weekend. He is also a RAAM solo racer. And get this… 2 weeks after RAAM he is scheduled to run Badwater.